Downhaul cable anchor assembly



Oct. 23, 1962 A. GIOVINAZZO 3,059,505

DOWNHAUL CABLE ANCHOR ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 4, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 36 INVENTOR. 45 ANTHONY mm) GIOV/NAZZO 33 I6 26 Oct. 23, 1962 A. GIOVINAZZO DOWNHAUL CABLE ANCHOR ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 4, 1961 INVENTOR. ANTHONY A/M/ slow/V4220 ATTORNEY 3,059,605 DGWNHAUL CABLE ANCHOR ASSEMBLY Anthony Giovinazzo, 925 Seminary St., Key West, Fla. Filed Oct. 4, 1961, Ser. No. 142,989 1 Claim. (Cl. 114-16.7) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

This invention relates to submarine rescue operations and especially to apparatus and methods for replacing or repairing broken downhaul cables employed on submarine rescue chambers. More specifically, it refers to the connecting linkage and method of attaching that linkage to the outboard end of the downhaul cable and to the sunken submarine escape hatch bail, by a diver at great depths in the ocean.

Although various types of anchoring devices are possible one of the components commonly used on most designs is the cable plug permanently fixed to the outboard end of the downhaul cable. In the present design the cable plug is also used but a special housing had to be provided for the plug in order to adapt it to use with the unique escape hatch bail and facilitate its repair assembly by a diver during an emergency rescue.

The disclosure illustrates a preferred type of escape hatch bail in which it was the practice to anchor the downhaul cable permanently to the bail with no provision for emergency repair. In case of a cable break the diver was under considerable handicap improvising a repair at great underwater depths and normally in darkness.

The general object of the proposed invention is to eliminate the foregoing and related disadvantages and provide an improved method for anchoring a submarine downhaul cable to the escape hatch bail during submarine rescue operations.

Another object is to provide a device to facilitate coupling a submarine rescue chamber downhaul cable to submarine escape hatch bail in the darkness at great ocean depths during an emergency rescue operation.

Another object is to provide a readily attachable housing for the outboard end of a downhaul cable having a plug integral therewith so that although the cable and plug assembly alone will freely pass through the bore of an escape hatch bail receptacle, nevertheless, when mounted in said housing the cable will be positively anchored to the bail.

Still another object is to provide a cable anchor housing which can be readily assembled on the cable plug or removed therefromv manually by a diver at great depths undersea without the need of light or visual coordination.

With these and other objects in view, as will hereinafter more fully appear, and which will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claim, reference is now made to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a rescue ship arriving at a sunken submarine;

FIG. 2 shows the operation of hauling a rescue chamher down to the submarine escape hatch;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation partially in section of the rescue chamber shown schematically connected by the downhaul cable to a submarine escape hatch bail;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the particular type of escape hatch bail having a conical receptacle bore matching the cable plug and split sleeve plug housing in assembled position;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an open split sleeve housing showing the downhaul cable and plug in relation thereto.

nited States Patent 0 "ice In detail, FIG. 1 illustrates a sunken submarine resting on the ocean bottom 12 while the rescue ship 13 has heaved to on the surface 14 above the submarine 11. On the deck of the submarine 11 a downhaul cable 17 is wound on a reel or cable spool 19 and anchored to the bail 18 of the escape hatch 16. A float 21 attached to the spool 19, may be released by the crew within the submarine in case of an emergency whereby the cable spool 19 will be floated to the ocean surface 14 and the cable 17 unwound at the same time. At the surface the bitter end of the downhaul cable 17 is attached to the reel 29 in the rescue bell or chamber 24.

The chamber 24 remains connected to the rescue ship 13 by safety line 22 which is payed out as the downhaul cable 17, anchored to bail 18 of the escape hatch 16 is reeled in by the operator. The cable 17 is wound in by reel 29, FIG. 3, which is manually operated by the hand wheel 31 inside the chamber 24 through drive 32 until the sealing pad 23 is snugly pressed against the matching surface 26 of the submarine escape hatch 16 to provide a water tight joint. Passage between the submarine and escape compartment of the rescue bell is made possible by opening the hatches 16 and 28 after the chamber 24 is secured to the submarine sealing pads 26 and compartment 30 evacuated.

In case the downhaul cable 17 is broken, replacement will require the services of a diver to descend to the sunken submarine and anchor the new cable to the escape hatch bail 18. In emergency rescue operations the rescue ship is either equipped with extra downhaul cables 17 having plug 39 already attached or means for fastening plug 39 to the end of the broken cable. In either case the cable plug 39* is held in a split sleeve housing 36. Although the cable plug 39 by itself will freely pass through the bail receptacle bore 34, by assemblying the housing 36 on the plug the enlarged end portion is larger than the bore 34 and will securely anchor the cable to said bail 18.

The bail 18, FIG. 4, is shown in detail and comprises a semi-circular bar hinged at its ends 33 to the escape hatch 16. At the center of the bar a receptacle or coni cal bore 34 is provided at which point the downhaul cable is anchored. With the bail pivoted at its ends 33 and a cable anchoring means in the center of the bar the rescue chamber mating pads 23 and 26 will readily be brought together to seal the chamber 24 over the hatch 16 regardless of ocean currents or a reasonable off-center location of the rescue ships hoist.

The cable plug 39 is normally designed with a conical bore in which the cable strands are spread out and the bore poured with lead to form a solid cable slug within the plug casing. As pointed out above, the cable plug 39 is small enough to pass freely through the receptacle bore 34 of bail 18 when a diver is starting to assemble the cable anchor device.

A special split sleeve housing 36, FIG. 5, has been provided for housing the cable plug 39 and preventing it from being pulled back through the bail receptacle bore 34 after assembly. The housing comprises two mating sections 37 and 38 hinged at pin 43. The cable 17 and plug 39 are laid in the housing bore 42 and counter bore 41, respectively. The split sections 37 and 38 are swung together and fastened by cotter 44. One section 37 is provided with a groove 48 and the other section with matching tongues such as hinge portion 47 Where the pin 43 is located and the keeper portion 49 for receiving and holding the cotter 44.

The tapered portion 46 or sloping sides are designed to wedge the housing 36 in the receptacle bore 34 whereby the housing assembly is automatically held assembled as a unit when the downhaul cable 17 is under tension. During the earlier assembly by the diver, the cotter temporarily holds the cable, plug and housing in assembled relationship. When the cable 17 is placed under operational tension then the housing is wedged in the bail receptacle bore or socket 34 and the assembled relationship will be retained thereby.

The method for anchoring a downhaul cable and plug to the bail 18 includes the steps of threading the plug end of the cable through the receptacle bore 34, then clamping the split housing 36 on the plug 13 and securing the sections 37 and 38 with cotter 44. As tension is applied to the downhaul cable 17 the split sleeve housing assembly will be tightly wedged in the conical receptacle of the hatch bail.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claim the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

I claim:

A submarine provided with an escape hatch and a rescue chamber adapted to form a water tight closure therewith when lowered by a downhaul cable to said hatch, the combination with a downhaul cable having a plug fixed to its outboard end, a U-shaped bail pivotally fastened at its ends to the escape hatch cover, a conical opening at the midpoint of said bail having a bore larger than the plug diameter, a plug housing split longitudinally into matching sections and having an axial bore diameter equal to the outside diameter of the downhaul cable and a counterbore in its base connected to said axial bore for housing said plug, so that the plug attached to the cable can be readily drawn through the conical opening on the bail and assembled on the opposite side in said housing by a diver working in the dark at great depths underwater, said split housing being conical in shape to match said bail opening and too large to pass therethrough so that tension on the cable will retain the plug and housing in an assembled state and anchor the cable to said bail.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,501,138 Rounds July 15, 1924 1,853,898 Grieshaber Apr. 12, 1932 2,165,413 Ratigan July 11, 1939 2,998,797 Risney Sept. 5, 1961 

